Evangelion 40: You Can (Not) Protect
by ghostdrifter11
Summary: A/U. The Third Impact never occurred. Asuka and Shinji continued on in their battle against the Angels. Little did they know of Gendo Ikari's main objective to achieve Human Instrumentality to be able to meet with Yui again. With love, their battles, and living out regular teenage lives blocking their paths, will the three EVA pilots be able to stop Gendo? M for sexual themes.
1. Preview, Summary and

Asuka heard Shinji scream out whenever he was awoken from his nightmare, but it didn't surprise her. Ever since their last battle with Zuruel, the Tenth Angel, Shinji had been having severe nightmares and he was constantly avoiding people. He hadn't even made the meal that Asuka loved with all of her heart. For the past two weeks it was all instant ramen and cans of coffee at the Kurosaki household, and Asuka was sick of it. She wanted the old Shinji back. She wanted her Shinji back.

_'Do I seriously care for that Baka?'_ Asuka asked herself as she took a handful of popcorn from her bowl and shoved it into her mouth. Flashback filled Asuka's vision. She remembered back to the first night that she had moved into Misato's apartment and how she and Shinji argued over who got Shinji's bedroom. She remembered back to when she slept with Shinji whenever she had nightmares of her mother and how she had given Shinji his nickname, Stupid Shinji. She remembered how she attempted to cook for him like he did for her, but she could never get the recipe right. _'No! I don't care about him! All I care about is myself!'_ Asuka's face turned bright red with embarrassment. She remembered hearing from Hyuga how Shinji was prepared to destroy NERV HQ for Gendo readily sacrificing her with the use of the Dummy Plug system when she became infected by the Ninth Angel. She remembered how Shinji had acted once they saw each other for the first time after she was released from solitary confinement due to the failed activation of Evangelion Unit 0-3. _'I love that stupid idiot…'_ Tears of mixed emotion filled Asuka's eyes. How could she love someone who was below her? It went against what she believed.

Asuka let herself cry. She couldn't hold her feelings in for Shinji anymore. She loved she loved him and she had to face it. "Gottverdammt!" She screamed, hitting her hand furiously off of the arm of the sectional couch that she sat on. "Why do I love him?" Just then Asuka heard a door slide open. She peered down the hallway to see Shinji looking curiously into Misato's room. She wiped away the tears that she had been shedding and hurriedly made herself look presentable. She fluffed her long red hair, lowered the neck of her tank top to show off the upper portion of her cleavage and fixed her position to somewhat show off her nether regions. If she truly did love Shinji, she would make every attempt that she could to win him over.

"Couldn't sleep, Stupid Shinji?" She asked, a hint of faked anger in her voice. Shinji jumped back a few feet, looking hysterically at her. She could tell that he was her body because his cheeks were becoming red. The boy then looked over at the television, where Asuka had Beauty and The Beast playing on the DVR. Asuka couldn't help but be a little embarrassed at this. Beauty and The Beast was such a childish movie, but it was her favorite. It was the same story that her mother would read to her every night before she went insane and committed suicide. It was one of the few things that Asuka had left to remember her mother by, other than her stuffed teddy bear.

"Yeah." Shinji replied. His cheeks were bright red. Had Asuka's appearance gotten to him? "Well come sit and watch the movie, Baka!" She demanded, sitting upright. She waved an unopened can of soda before her. Shinji just stared at her for a moment before smiling and walking over to her, plopping himself down right next to her. Asuka's heart pounded rapidly, as she smiled away at Shinji innocently. Shinji smiled back at her. Not with the same old smile that he normally produced, but one filled with confidence and purity. Asuka's body then started to move. _'I can't control myself!'_ She exclaimed internally as her hand stroked Shinji's cheek affectionately. Asuka then leaned in over Shinji, her cleavage now completely exposed. "I love you, Stupid Shinji." She announced before forcefully kissing him on the mouth.


	2. Prologue - Aftermath (Failed Attempts)

This was not a good place to be, not at all. The room was dark despite all but the back wall being completely made up of glass, and the air was chill due to the huge industrial fans on the ceiling. Unfortunately for the young boy walking through the hallways of NERV HQ, this was a place that he could not avoid.

The boy walked through the hallways of NERV HQ, his footsteps echoing loudly with each step. He looked down at his handcuffed hands, then at the two people at either of his sides. The first was a young bespectacled man with short black hair, the second a young woman with a petite build and short brown hair. Makoto Hyuga and Maya Ibuki. Shinji frowned depressingly. He knew that they did not want what was happening to happen to him, but it had to be done. He was sure that the two of them would allow him to turn around and run from the building, but it would lose the both of them their jobs. There was no getting out of this one.

Makoto, Maya and Shinji rounded a tight corner into a short hallway, about ten feet in length. At the end of the hall was a red metal door. Shinji gulped. This was the main office of NERV's Commander, Gendo Ikari. Shinji looked over at Makoto, who frowned at Shinji before knocking on the door. "I'm sorry, Shinji."

"Bring him in." Makoto opened the door and the trio walked into the room. The room was dark despite all but the back wall being completely made up of glass and the air was chill due to the huge industrial fans on the ceiling. Gendo Ikari sat at his desk in the back of the room, his arms folded onto the desk before him, his glasses obscuring being able to tell what he was feeling. Shinji made his way to stand before his father while Maya and Makoto walked to stand at either side of Gendo. Shinji stared coldly at Gendo. Hate filled his eyes, but fear and loneliness backed up his rage. "Why, Father?" He asked, his voice as cold as the metal floor he stood upon. Gendo stared back at Shinji, his arms still folded before him. He showed no sign of emotion. "Why did you use me like that?"

"What I did had to be done, Shinji." Shinji grinded his teeth together in anger. "She became infected by the -"

"I would have saved her, Goddamnit!" Makoto jumped from the tone of Shinji's voice. He had never seen the boy so angry and unstable. He had always saw him as laid back and careless. This was a completely different Shinji then the one that he knew. 'Well I guess that love really can change a person.' He thought, looking over at Maya with a light smile. All Gendo did was blink. He didn't even flinch at the new side of Shinji.

"You couldn't have done anything, Shinji." Shinji's eyes widened, his clenched fists turning white from lack of blood. "You are too weak. You never could have saved Asuka." Shinji had enough. Screaming at the top of his lungs, the boy charged NERV's director. He jumped the desk that Gendo sat behind and kicked him in the face, doing seemingly nothing to harm Gendo. Shinji gasped. "Like I said, Son, you are just too weak." Gendo stood up from his seat, ignoring the red mark on his right eye. He grabbed Shinji by the collar of the shirt and swung hard with his free hand. Shinji was sent hurtling across across the room, landing harshly on the back wall of the office. "Ikari, Shinji, for acts of treason against NERV and for refusal to comply with your given orders, you are now officially dropped from NERV's ranks, and along with that you are stripped of the title of 'Second Child'. You have one hour to clean out your locker before being banned from NERV HQ for life." Mikoto and Maya removed themselves from the Commander's side and walked over to the fallen Shinji. They undid his handcuffs placed a hand on either of Shinji's shoulders and escorted him back out of the room. They felt bad for the boy. Nobody should ever have to go through the things that he had been forced to do.

"I'm sorry, Shinji." Maya said, looking up to the young boy. Shinji stayed fiercely silent. "We tried to stop Mr. Ikari, but we just could-"

"I don't care anymore." Shinji said, thrusting Maya and Makoto's hands off of him. "It's over and done with. I can't change the past." Makoto and Maya stopped dead in their tracks, remorse and guilt clouding them. Shinji walked on alone to the locker room, not even noticing that his two friends had been left behind…

-/-

In the semi darkness of the room, Asuka Shikinami Langley opened her eyes weakly. She grabbed her head with one hand as soon as she did so, screaming out in pain. 'Wha-What happened?' She asked herself. She forcefully straightened up her body, took a deep breath, and pulled back the strands of hair that had protruded her eyesight. The room was completely white, and there was nothing in the room besides her and a bed that she had just removed herself from. The wall before her was completely made up of glass, but she could not see through it. Her cheeks becoming bright red, Asuka covered up her breasts and lover half, noticing from the reflection of her in the mirror that she was completely stripped of all of her clothing and accessories. "What the fuck is this!?" She screamed walking over to the glass window. "What the fuck kind of perverts are hiding behind here!?"

"There are no perverts behind the glass!" Asuka jumped, not expecting to hear someone else's voice, but calmed down once she connected the voice to the people that she knew.

"Misato," She said, relaxing her body. "What is this?".

"Asuka, you are in quarantine now… You were infected by the Ninth Angel during Unit 0-3's activation test. Commander Ikari ordered that we dispose of you with the use of EVA Unit 0-1's Dummy Plug System. Shinji tried to stop him, but he couldn't. We retrieved you from the destroyed Entry Plug of Unit 0-2." Asuka's eyes widened. Flashbacks of the Evangelion Unit 0-3 Activation test raced through her head. Breathing heavily, she puked all over the floor. She remembered as the blue substance that was the Angel's blood gripped her body before encasing her in a cocoon-like shell. Her eyes then widened again once what Misato had said about Shinji trying to save her processed in her head.

"That Baka!" She said, anger and worry filling her voice. "What the hell happened to him?"

"Shinji has been defected from NERV. He is packing up and leaving for North America within the week." Misato braced herself for what was about to happen. Examining the glass, Asuka could see that a blue light was reflecting from the spot where her left eye should have been.

"What the fuck is this!?" She asked Misato, frightened through her rage. Misato saw this too, and gasped. "Activate the Angel-sealing Hex Glyphs now! The Ninth Angel is attempting to take over!" Ritsuko Akagi, who was sitting at a computer next to where Misato was standing, slammed desperately on the computer keyboard before her and pressed the enter key, but not before Asuka was able punch through the containment glass.

"Goddamnit!" She screamed. Fangs had protruded from Asuka's mouth, her face a sure sign of her internal fury. "Goddamnit, Shinji! Why the fuck would you risk your life for me!?" She straightened up and examined the wall, which was now covered in hieroglyphic-like symbols. There was something different about her. "Do you think that these damned things can stop… Me-" Asuka's voice had become dark and hate-filled, but her eyes closed suddenly and fell harshly to the ground. Her body had turned back to normal, and her eye stopped glowing.

"So she wasn't completely free of the Ninth Angel's contamination after all..." There was a choke in Misato's voice. Tears started to fall from her eyes as well.

"It appears that way," Ristuko typed a code into the computer and deactivated the Angel-Sealing Hex Glyphs, trying not to look at either Misato's or Asuka. "It seems like the Ninth Angel can only take over if she is in a seriously pissed off state of mind, so there is a way that we can save her."

"You don't mean..."

"Yes, Misato." Ristuko picked up a red telephone on the desk before her. "Bring in the glyph tester and a device that can encode the glyph onto an eyepatch. This is a Stage One, Code Blue."


	3. Prologue Part 2 - It's Your Choice

The GeoFront was bright with the coming of day. The sun shown brightly, and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was the perfect day. Ayanami, Rei walked the unpaved path that she had made for herself to walk on days such as this. She would walk it when she had things on her mind, and on this particular day she was flooded with many thoughts and questions. First, she was wondering why Gendo had banned Shinji from NERV. She hadn't heard anything of the failed activation of EVA Unit 0-3, let alone that the Ninth Angel had been _defeated_. The second thing on her mind was why the planned feast that she had invited everyone to had been canceled. Everybody seemed happy about it and as though they had supported her one-hundred percent. Even Asuka was willing to help with the reunion dinner of Gendo and Shinji Ikari, so why had Misato come to her apartment and told her that it had to be canceled?

"You seem conflicted." Rei turned to face the path behind her to find a figure standing on the path, his hands in his pockets. While not a tall person, they did have rather distinctive features. Rei stared at him angrily.

"Nagisa, Kaworu," She said in an angry tone, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "What are you doing here?" Kaworu smirked, his red eyes sharp behind the bangs of his white hair.

"I think you already know the answer to that."

"If you are talking about Shinji, he is already gone."

"Yes I know this already," Kaworu walked emotionally over to Rei so that he stood right in front of her. "That is why I am here. To tell you the story of why Ikari, Shinji-kun has left NERV, and of Ikari, Gendo's true intentions."

"I don't need your lies. I know what you are really here for!" Rei turned around to continue down the path, but was stopped when a cold hand grabbed her arm.

"Please, Ayanami, just hear me out, then you can decide for yourself of what you must do. Please, Ayanami." Rei scowled, kicking dirt up lightly with her foot.

"Fine," She surrendered, taking back her arm and rubbing it with her hand. For such a petite boy Kaworu had a really sharp grip. "But hurry up and get it over with. I have things to do."

"Not here, there are too many people who know too much already. Meet me on the surface, at the Tokyo-3 Grand Theatre at three o'clock. We will talk then." Kaworu turned around and walked away without another word. Rei stood in place, wondering what is was that the SEELE boy was plotting. Shaking her head as though to remove those thoughts from her head, Rei turned and continued on the path, now with more thoughts and questions on her plate…

-/-

Rei checked her watch. Three O'Clock exactly. Where was Kawuro? Looking around the empty building, Rei found herself surrounded with many rows of red velvet chairs. They were all empty, which seemed weird to Rei. She loved coming to the theatre on Saturday evenings and watching plays and musicals, all times of which the place was packed. She shuddered from the cold feeling of loneliness that shrouded her being.

"Ah! You actually came!" Rei looked up to see Kaworu standing on the barrier of the second floor balcony. 'What the hell is he doing up there?' She asked herself, shooting an ice cold glare at the white-haired individual. She gasped when she saw what happened next. Bracing himself, Kaworu casually jumped from the ledge of the balcony, rolling into a ball once he hit the ground to rebound the impact, and finished by stepping back to his feet gracefully right before Rei, who was in awe. "You seem shocked." He said, smirking towards the girl.

"Of course I am! You just jumped from the second floor and landed like a ballerina!" Rei wanted to slap Kaworu, but knew that if she did she would be left answerless. "Ugh! Nevermind! What is it that you needed to tell me thats secretive?" Kaworu walked past Rei and walked onto the stage, where a lone grand piano stood in the center. Sitting himself down in the piano bench, Kaworu cracked his fingers before playing lightly.

"Oh, yes! The story behind Ikari, Shinji-kun leaving NERV." Kaworu played away at the piano, his playing becoming faster and more music-like. "Come up and sit. Play with me."

"Kaworu! I didn't come here to play musical instruments with you! I came here to-"

"You want to know about Ikari, Shinji-kun, correct?" Rei glared at Kaworu, but quickly closed her eyes and sighed. She was annoyed at the SEELE boy's childish games, but knew that she couldn't change that. Walking up to the stage, a thought struck her.

"Kaworu. I don't know how to play."

"Don't worry about it. Just press the keys that you feel need to be pressed." Kaworu smiled at Rei brightly, which sent chills down her spine. Her cheeks turned bright red and she turned away from the boy, looking down at the keys of the piano. "Play from the heart." Rei couldn't help but admire Kaworu's piano playing. She never knew that he had so much experience at it. Why didn't he showcase his skills regularly here at the theatre? Gulping, Rei pressed a key. Then she pressed another one. And another one. And another one. And another one. "That's it! Keep it up, Ayanami!" Rei smiled lightly and played away. It did not sound as beautiful and as majestic as Nagisa's, but to her it sounded like she was flowing out all of her worries, all of her anger, and all of her doubts.

"So, Nagisa-kun," She said, not taking her eyes off of the keys. 'What is the story behind Shinji leaving NERV?"

"Ikari, Shinji-kun has left NERV because of Ikari, Gendo." Kaworu's eyes were closed as he played away gracefully at the piano while telling his story. "Only one week ago, Langley, Asuka became infected by the Ninth Angel during a failed activation test of the Evangelion Unit 0-3 sent to NERV from North America." Rei was shocked. '_Asuka! Taken over by an Angel!?_' Her piano playing slowed down as her mind processed this new information. "Ikari, Gendo ordered that Ikari, Shinji-kun engage the contaminated EVA in battle, but Shinji-kun did not. Ikari, Gendo activated the Dummy Plug System, which is based upon your synchronization rate with EVA Unit 0-1. The Dummy Plug System did what Shinji could not, but in the process killed Asuka. After the battle, Shinji-kun gained control over Unit 0-1 back and attacked NERV Headquarters, making terroristic threats towards the organization. Just yesterday, Ikari, Shinji-kun was released from NERV's prison deep within Central Dogma and confronted Ikari, Gendo. Shinji-kun left with nothing solved and nothing gained, instead being banned from the organization forever. Rumor has it that he is planning on going to live in North America, to get away from all of the chaos and pain that he has had to endure."

"Gendo would never do anything like that!" Rei shouted, stopping her piano playing completely. Kaworu played on.

"Oh, but he did, Ayanami." Kaworu started to play a slow, sad tune. "It is all part of his plan."

"What is this plan, Nagisa?"

"To achieve Human Instrumentality, to evolve Lilin further. He wants to become God of this world." Rei gasped in awe. Was Gendo seriously plotting this?

"Just how does Mr. Ikari plan on doing this?"

"Easily." Kaworu stopped playing the piano and stood up from his seat, stretching out his body. "By starting the Fourth Impact." Rei stood up from the seat next. She turned to face Kaworu and slapped him across the face, leaving a bright red mark on the boy's delicate face. "What was that for?"

"Don't you bad talk Ikari, Gendo like that ever again, you SEELE Brat!" Rei's heartbeat became fast and loud, her breathing heavy. She had never been this mad before. "He would never do anything like that! He is not that kind of person!" Kaworu glared at her.

"If that is what you want to believe, Ayanami." Kaworu turned around and started walking towards the exit. "Remember what I said earlier? You don't have to believe me? I could care less. I am just trying to tell you about the thing that is being dangled right under your nose that you keep on missing." Rei started to run up to Kaworu, but collapsed down the stairs that led to the stage. She was getting too worked up. She was going to pass out. "Just come to me whenever you make up your mind. You know where to find me." With that Kaworu exited the building, and the closing of the door echoed throughout the quiet building.

"Nagisa-" Rei's vision turned to black, and all of her senses shut down. All she could do now was think. '_Human… In- Instrumentality-_'


	4. Prologue Final - A New Reality

Shinji Ikari zipped up the last of the bags that he was bringing with him to the United States. He looked at the room that was once his, but now just a blank canvas to be written upon again. He didn't care. He didn't care about anything. The one and only thing that he did care about had been taken away from him. "Damned world." He said, picking up his bags and walking out of the room into the hallway. Misato Katsuragi was waiting for him. Her arm had been broken during the failed activation test of Unit 0-3, and she had a fractured rib. She had been Shinji's best friend since the time that Shinji had arrived in Tokyo-3, but now was just another person to him. Shinji placed the cell phone that Misato had gotten him for his birthday in her hand and walked past her without a word.

"Please don't go, Shinji." Misato begged, following the young boy to the front door of the apartment. There was no answer. "Please, Shinji." Again, there was no answer. "Goddamnit, Shinji! Don't go!" Misato turned Shinji around with her good hand, making him drop his bags, and slapped him clean across the face. Shinji placed a hand on his face, but other than that there was nothing. No emotions, no reactions.

"My life is over, Misato. There is nothing for me here." Shinji picked up his bags again and continued towards the door, but again was stopped by Misato.

"Do you really thing that, Shinj?" She asked, tears flooding her eyes. "Don't you feel anything for me? For Kensuke? What about for Toji or Rei? Don't you feel anything for the rest of us?"

"I'm sorry, Misato." Shinji said, his tone becoming sad. He knew that it would be best for him to stay with Misato and to stay in Tokyo-3, but he couldn't. The pain of living in the place where the love of your life had been brutally killed by his own hands was too much for him. "I just can't."

"Do you think that Asuka would want it this way?" Shinji's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of what Asuka wanted of him. Would she have wanted him to stay? No. She hated him. To her he was nothing. He was just Stupid Shinji to her.

"Yes, Misato. I do think that." Just at that moment Misato's phone rang.

"Please, Shinji, just stay here for a few minutes." Misato ran to grab the phone, while Shinji pondered in his head about what to do. 'I can't stay here.' Opening the door, Shinji made it halfway across the balcony until Misato hollered frantically for him. "Asukas' coming home, Shinji! Shes' going to be okay!" Shinji stopped dead in his tracks. His heart began beating faster and faster. Asuka was going to be okay? How did he survive the Angel's contamination and the Dummy Plug System mauling her? Many thought flooded Shinji, but he didn't care. Turning around, he ran back to Misato's apartment. He ran back home.

"I guess I better get started on dinner then." He said, throwing his bags next to the front door. His life had not ended after all. In fact, it was just beginning…

-/-

The bus came to a stop just outside of the apartment complex that Misato lived in. Waves of people exited from the catapillar of a vehicle and flooded the streets of Tokyo-3, going about their normal everyday lives. This was different for one red headed girl who had removed herself from the bus behind everybody else. She wasn't going about her normal everyday routine. No. Life as she knew it had been destroyed once she stepped foot into the ill fated Evangelion Unit 0-3.

"Looks like nothing's changed," She said, placing a hand over the eyepatch that covered her left eye. "Well nothing but me anyways." Asuka walked up the stairs to the second floor of the building and walked in the door of the last apartment in the row, not even bothering to knock. Placing her bags next to Shinji's, the girl... Wait a minute? Shinji's bags!? 'What does Stupid Shinji think he's doing?' The girl got a whiff of something delicious smelling and ran to the kitchen, finding what she was looking for.

"Aha! I found you!" The girl exclaimed, anger and happiness filling her voice. Shinji jumped, nearly dropping a hot skillet full of fish onto him. Misato, who was sitting at the kitchen table sipping away at beer nearly jumped clean from her chair.

"Asuka!" The two of them exclaimed together, both removing themselves from their business and walking over to the red head. Shinji's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Was he happy to see her?

"Asuka! You're oka-" Shinji was interupted by a harsh smack across the mouth, making the boy fall flat on his backside. "What the hell was that for!?" The question landed him with a kick to the stomach.

"Damnit, Stupid Shinji!" Asuka screamed, helping the boy up to his feet. She wanted, no, WAS going to beat the hell out of the boy, but found herself doing something completely different. Wrapping her arms around Shinji, Asuka placed her head delicately onto his chest. "I missed you, Stupid Shinji." She said passionately. Shinji looked at Misato, dumbfounded, but he got no help. She was just as confused as he was.

"Uh - I - I missed you too, Asuka." He said, wrapping his arms softly around Asuka's waist. He was trying not to say or do any of the wrong thing. The last thing that he wanted was to get into Asuka's path of rage. Then, as quickly as the moment had come, Asuka's eyes widened. She pushed herself away from Shinji, her face as red as the LCL within the Evangelions.

"Bah! What the hell do you think you are doing, Baka!?" She demanded, arching her arm on her hip.

"I was hugging you back. You hugged me and said that you missed me so I thought that-"

"Gah! You actually thought I meant something behind those things? I was bored being pent up like I was! I would have done it to anyone! Get over yourself, Second Child!" Misato sat back down in her seat and watched the show, opening another beer for her and another for PenPen, who just exited the bathroom.

"Like old times, ol' buddy." She said. PenPen squaked back at her in agreement.

-/-

Rei walked around seemingly forever. She was in the slums of Tokyo-3, looking for Kawuro. She had given much thought about what he said the day before, and had decided that he was ultimately right in the end. The day before flashed suddenly before her eyes like a flash of light...

_Rei awakened late from her slumber. She was on the ground, unaware of where she was. 'Where am I?' She asked herself frantically, looking around desperately for any sure signs of where she was. She was still in the theatre. She gasped, remembering the events from right before she passed out on the ground. "Nagisa, Kawuro!" She called. There was no answer. She called again, but she got the same results as before. He was gone._

_"That bastard." She said simpily as she exited the building to leave for home._

Rei found herself standing before an old, abandoned warehouse. The building was made of rusted metal, and many holes protruded the place. "This is the place." She said, walking towards the huge double door that was the front door. Placing her hand on the rusted metal handle, more flashbacks came to her...

_Rei made her way to Commander Ikari's main office, walking through tides of NERV personnel working their butts off. It was early morning, but that hadn't stopped Gendo from calling Rei in to have a personal meeting with her. What was it that the Commander wanted with her?_

_Ayanami rounded the sharp corner into a small hallway and knocked lightly on Commander Ikari's door. "Come on in." He said harshly. Rei could already tell that she was going to get a mouthful._

_"Good morning, Commander." She said with a bow. Gendo stayed perfectly silent. A cold chill caressed Rei's spine menacingly._

_"Why were you out so late on the surface, Rei?" He asked, his voice cruel, but also hint full of possible worry._

_"I was at the theatre," Rei replied innocently. "I was out with Nagisa, Kawuro-kun. We talked about things and we played the pi-"_

_"What all did the two of you talk about, Rei?" Gendo asked without skipping a beat._

_"We talked about Shinji and Asuka. And he told me some lie about you wanting to start the Fourth Impact to start something called Human Instrumantality, whatever that is." Gendo sighed, annoyed._

_"Well, Rei," Gendo crossed his arms on the desk before him. "What Nagisa, Kaworu told you is not a lie, but in fact truth. I wasn't going to tell you until right before the events were to have gone through, but looks like you already know. That damned SEELE brat." Rei was dumbfounded._

_"Why wearnt you going to tell me of any of this, Commander?"_

_"Because I knew that you were beginning to get a mind of you own. You wearnt going to be just my puppet anymore if you had known of any of this. You are a vital component in all of this, Rei." Rei stood from her chair and ran. She ran back to the door of the office. She didn't know where she was going to go. She just had to get away from NERV and the GeoFront. She couldn't stay there any longer..._

"Ah! You've finally arrived I see!" Kawuro ran from a piano in the center of the warehouse to join Rei at the front door. "Have you made your decision?"

"Yes." Rei announced, taking a deep breath. "I am teaming up with you to destroy NERV and SEELE."

-/-

Gendo Ikari let out a long exadurated sigh. He had had a long day, and now was back in the comfort of his main office. Kōzō Fuyutsuki was already waiting for him. "How do you plan on going on with our plans, Gendo?" The old man asked bitterly.

"Easy. We activate Rei Quatro and prepare her and Unit 0-1."

"How long will it take?"

"Roughly two years. We have two years until our dreams will finally become a reality."


End file.
